Banking on business, bio titles

A good mystery always works, too, for this avid reader.

A good mystery always works, too, for this avid reader.

February 13, 2006|ANN LEONARD Tribune Correspondent

Steven C. Watts seeks books that center on business information, such as management strategies or leadership skills and techniques. As regional president of Horizon Bank, he also reads biographies and autobiographies that are inspirational and motivating. "I'm usually inspired by the proper actions of leaders throughout history," he says. He adds, "Throughout my career, I've paid attention to what my peers and superiors are reading and many times we share observations. "Most of my employers at Horizon Bank in particular encourage active business reading. We share observations and discuss many strategies." His parents encouraged him to read but didn't have much money for buying books. Steve's earliest memories of reading were in elementary school, especially "in our school's library." Today, he enjoys reading early Saturday and Sunday mornings, but he probably reads most often late at night. On the other hand, "any time on vacation is my ideal time to read a lot of books." He just finished "700 Sundays" by Billy Crystal. "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom are on his bedside table. "Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West" by Stephen E. Ambrose is one of the books he remembers best "because the courage shown by so many people is awesome to me." Although he has read every book ever written by John Grisham, he doesn't keep a record of books he has read. One time, he even bought a book by Grisham he had already read. However, he keeps a list of books he wants to read in his day planner. He regularly reads "employee recommendations" in any bookstore he visits. And he relies on friends for books they have enjoyed. Steve never expected to become a banker. He planned to be a teacher and coach. He's a graduate of Mary Phillips Elementary, Main Junior High and Mishawaka High School. At Ball State University, he majored in history with minors in geography and political science. While he was student teaching at Washington High School, he wondered how he would support a family with teaching and coaching. The economics did not add up for him. After a couple of interviews he discovered corporations and banks were hiring liberal arts graduates. He decided to switch careers before he even began. In the next few years he took accounting and economics classes at Indiana University South Bend and banking courses via the American Institute of Banking. He also is an alumnus of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. Before joining Horizon Bank, Steve was in charge of the reorganization of Sobieski Savings and Loan. His wife, Jean O'Connor Watts, teaches third grade at Christ the King Grade School. When their three children were young, Steve and Jean read to them every day. "However, the family joke is that all too often I would fall asleep while reading to the kids in bed," he said. The children's favorite books included the entire "Hank the Dog" series by John R. Erickson, "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown, "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak and "Mother Goose" and "Sleeping Beauty." Ryan now is an attorney in Washington, D.C.; Katy is a graduate student at Saint Xavier University in speech and language pathology; and John is a professional actor in Chicago. Family still is important. Jean is one of the 10 children of Bob and Cal O'Connor, both deceased. Many local people remember playing on the O'Connor home tennis court. These days, skiing is the sport that keeps the extended family together. This year, 21 O'Connors gathered in Aspen, Colo., for a week of skiing, but the number has been as high as 43.